Ever since his team put 60 points past Worcester in midweek to go to the top of the table, Dean Richards, coach of Harlequins, has been shrugging those great shoulders of his and claiming that nothing is won yet. Maybe not, but when you add this altogether different top-of-the-table victory, away from home, to the Quins mix, it is clear that a genuine force has emerged in the English game. ­Nothing is yet won, but they are very much in contention at home and, next week, in Europe.

This was Harlequins with their hard face on. They did a proper job on the Bath playmaker, Butch James, placing an old Springbok mucker, De Wet Barry, opposite to remind him that one physical approach would be countered pound for pound. It was a snuff move.

James kept his passing game more or less intact – until he totally imploded at the end – but from the start his place kicking was inaccurate enough to have supporters in the corner preparing to duck as he aimed for goal. One success from four attempts was as good as it got for James.

Harlequins also made a real mess of the home scrummage, to such an extent that their penalty try came after concerted pressure at the set-piece. All credit to stand-in captain Nick Easter – Will Skinner cried off late with a stomach upset – for going for the scrum when three points were on offer. Easter was hugely influential, as was Chris Robshaw, the workhorse of the back row.

A penalty try, three penalties and a drop goal, smartly taken by Danny Care to rub a fistful of salt into the open sore of Bath being constantly frustrated by their visitors, and even being denied a losing bonus point, would seem to tell of a game of constraint, of hard-slog endeavour.

And so it was, but there were eye-catching contributions from the wings. Dave Strettle, willowy and gliding, and Ugo Monye, all power and scuttle, were exceedingly slippery. And both rushed in to make all-important tackles to stop Bath finishing off movements. Nobody was more frustrated than Matt Banahan, the Bath giant who was much reduced by the performances of the opposing wings.

It was set up at half-time for one of those famous Bath comebacks: after a slow start they would crank up the ­pressure until something cracked and away they would go in the last ­quarter.

They had even kicked that single ­penalty towards the end of the first period to set themselves in motion. Quins had had their start; now they would be exposed. When Mike Ross was sent to the sin-bin, for playing the ball while off his feet, the sting was taken out of the Harlequins front row.

This was all going to the Bath plan. Joe Maddock had nearly created a try for Jonny Faamatuainu, while Banahan for once had just burst through four defenders.

Instead, the Harlequins seven-man pack won the ball against the head and escaped. When Bath came storming back, they found themselves denied again by a defender who had been ­initially removed from the front line of defence. Chris Malone was only playing because Nick Evans was not and he found himself targeted by every Bath runner. It was the outside-half who moved aside to allow Barry to eye-ball James.

But here he was, denying Alex ­Crockett on the line and then holding up Nick Abendanon over it. It was a ­special effort from the former Bath player, ­typifying the spirit of his new club, and it seemed to give him particular ­pleasure.

The long period of Bath pressure ended when a chip ahead from his own 22 by the excellent Care was touched in flight and a weird bounce favoured Tom Williams.

It shows how much class Harlequins have in depth that someone as good as Williams is on the replacements' bench. Off he went, deep into opposition territory and from a subsequent play Care dropped his goal. A rare escape resulted in points – the complete opposite of what Bath managed in the second half.

This had been billed as the meeting between first and fourth in the table and the top two for entertainment. It was asking too much to expect a riot of tries. The tension of sorting out the top four at the end of the regular season is ­turning into a right little nail-biter and this fitted more into the model of tense than carefree.

But it was all the more compelling for the fact that it had an edge to it, evident from the off when Strettle chased the kick-off and sent Just Harrison sprawling. That was a message of intent if ever there was one.

That it ended with feisty Care landing a drop-goal and Malone preventing two tries speaks volumes for the spirit of the London club.

There are only so many more shrugs left in the mighty Richards shoulders before he has to concede that he has ­constructed a team that might be the package of the year. Harlequins, the team that Deano built, are looking very good.